6 foreigners held in Noida for duping 'hundreds' of women through dating apps
Noida, Mar 5: Noida Police on Sunday arrested six foreigners for duping "hundreds of women" whom they contacted through dating apps like Bumble, Tinder, Hinge and OkCupid, an official said.
Among those held are five Nigerian nationals and a Bhutanese woman and their victims also included some from European countries. One of their recent victims was a journalist working with a news channel in Noida film city, police said.
The accused men are natives of Delta state in Nigeria and had arrived in India in 2021 on education and medical visas for a period of six months. The Bhutanese woman is from Trongsa and was married to one of the accused men, thus becoming a gang member.
However, they were currently living in the Supertech Golf Country along the Yamuna Expressway without valid documents, according to police.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Noida) Harish Chander said the gang was busted after an FIR was lodged at the Sector 20 police station over a complaint of fraud by a woman residing in the city.
These people used dating apps to get in touch with women and identified themselves as doctors residing in countries like the Netherlands and the US among others, Chander said.
"They would talk to women and take them into confidence after expressing interest in a relationship and marriage. Suddenly, they would inform them that they have arrived in India with a lot of cash in foreign currency and have been caught by the customs official, urging their help in securing their release.
They would seek some fund transfer which they promised to return. Nut the story would turn out to be false and the women would later realise that they had been duped, Chander said.
"An investigation was carried out after which six people, including five Nigerian men and a Bhutanese woman, have been arrested," the officer told reporters.
Primary investigation has revealed that the gang worked in an organised manner for last over two years while staying here. It's difficult to tell the exact number of victims at this point of time, but it is estimated that the number runs into hundreds, the DCP said.
"We are working on analysis of the data and chats that we have got from them to further ascertain facts in the case," he said, adding police are also verifying the status of their visas and passports to determine if they were legally staying in India.
Those arrested have been identified as Okolie Prosper, Okolie Stephen, Okosindhi Michael, Umad Roland all Nigerians, and Kunjgmo, the Bhutanese woman, police said.
Police said they recovered 17 mobile phones, three laptops, a two-wheeler, three passports and Rs 40,000 from the accused and have also seized a bank account linked to them that has Rs 1.25 lakh.
The FIR has been lodged under Indian Penal Code section 420 (cheating) and under provisions of the Information Technology Act and the accused were produced before a local magistrate who has remanded them in judicial custody, the police added.
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T'gana RTC strike: Talks between govt, employees successful
Hyderabad (PTI): Talks between employees of Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (RTC) who were on strike and the state government concluded successfully on Friday as the government agreed to the key demands of the workmen.
Following a day-long marathon of talks between the leaders of the employees' Joint Action Committee (JAC) and the cabinet sub-committee, the government announced after midnight that it acceded to the demands, including a merger of RTC with the government, 11 per cent pay revision and elections to the employees' unions.
A committee comprising officials and employee leaders would be appointed over the merger of RTC with the government, it said.
The RTC management has also agreed to address the remaining issues as well, an official release said.
The employees would call off their strike and the RTC buses would hit the roads shortly, it said.
The employees had been on an indefinite strike since April 22 over a series of demands, including the merger of RTC with the government.
Earlier in the day, a driver of the RTC, who attempted suicide on April 23 during the strike, died at a hospital here in the early hours of Friday.
Shankar Goud, a 55-year-old driver, set himself ablaze by pouring petrol at Narsampet in Warangal district when the employees were staging a protest on Thursday in support of their demands.
Goud suffered serious burns, was initially admitted to a state-run hospital in Warangal, and later shifted to a super-speciality hospital in Hyderabad for advanced treatment.
"He succumbed (to injuries) at about 1.30 am on Friday," a senior official said.
The driver’s body was taken to his relative’s village, Muttojipet in Warangal district, for funeral rites.
Tension prevailed in Muttojipet as his family members and RTC employees attempted to take the body to the Narsampet bus station, where he worked, to enable his colleagues to pay their last respects. However, police did not permit this, citing law-and-order concerns.
This led to a deadlock before the funeral could proceed.
Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar criticised the Telangana government for not allowing the body to be taken to the Narsampet bus station.
Kumar, Minister of State (Home), visited Muttojipet village in Warangal district, where the funeral was held, and paid homage to Goud.
“They (family members) want to take the body to the bus depot for five minutes. Is the RTC bus depot in Pakistan or Bangladesh? They are emotionally attached to taking the body there. The government is hurting sentiments and creating fear among RTC employees,” Kumar told reporters.
He also expressed anger at the police for not allowing the body to be taken to the bus station and staged a protest, according to a release from his office.
RTC employees and BJP workers attempted to take the mortal remains in an ambulance to Narsampet, but were stopped by the police.
Later, after discussions with the police, the family members and RTC employees agreed to conduct the funeral in the village.
Sanjay Kumar, stating he would abide by the family’s decision, left the village after the funeral was conducted there.
Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar said an ex gratia of Rs 10 lakh, a house, and a government job would be provided to the kin of Goud.
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy expressed shock over the employee’s death and conveyed deep condolences to the grieving family, according to the release.
The RTC employees’ JAC had earlier announced an agitation programme from April 24 to 29, including silent marches and submission of memorandums to MLAs and other leaders.
